ROCKFORD - New thrills are planned for the former Alpine Hills golf course this summer, but it will take a heap of generosity for the Rockford Park District to realize its vision for a year-round adventure park.

Golf is expected to return to the 52-acre property at 4402 Larson Ave. in the form of a five-hole course designed to introduce the game to beginners or those looking for a quick round. A zip-line course, which sends participants speeding through the treetops on a steel cable, is also expected to open in a separate portion of the property by late summer. The district is negotiating a contract with EBL Canopy Zipline Adventures, which would build five to six zip lines spanning as long as 1,000 feet and a suspension bridge.

But the district needs to raise $815,000 to pay for the mix of snowboarding, snow tubing and tobogganing that would anchor the park in winter.

The district has a company, Gateway Parks, to run the snow sports facility and provide equipment while leasing the space from the district. But before it can do that, the district needs to bring in lights, a water system for snow-making machines and other infrastructure.

Alpine Hills is one of eight projects the district has included as a first-tier priority for fundraising help from the Rockford Park District Foundation, the district's nonprofit arm. The annual list of fundraising priorities isn't a true capital plan, but it does give residents a glimpse of what's on the horizon for the district.

The list will be modified as the foundation discovers which projects are likely to receive financial support.

The list, with the exception of Alpine Hills and a boat dock planned for the Riverfront Museum Park, is largely filled with playgrounds and recreation path bridges that need to be repaired or replaced. It includes fixes at the Sinnissippi Park gardens and plans to create an endowment to support the continued presence of summer camps, swim lessons and other core programs.

Among last year's top priority projects was replacing Washington Park Community Center's rubber-composite floor with hardwood while making heating, ventilation and air conditioning improvements. The upgrades were completed in September, thanks to a $75,000 donation from Kiwanis Club of Rockford.

"My personal bias, I'm not speaking for the board, but that was my favorite project because it directly affected young people in the community," Hazen Tuck, president of the foundation board, told commissioners last week. "I see a lot of (this year's) projects doing the same."

Page 2 of 2 - The biggest financial figure on the district's proposed priority list is the $2.4 million replacement of four wooden playgrounds around Rockford that were designed by architect Bob Leathers. The Leathers playgrounds are some of the district's most unique structures. They stand at Liberty Park, Harlem Community Center off Forest Hills Road, there's a science-themed playground at Discovery Center and one designed for and with the help of teenagers at Black Hawk Park.

The district typically replaces playground equipment after 15 years and those parks are nearing the end of their useful life due to repairs needed and changing standards for accessibility, said Tim Dimke, the district's executive director. He said he knows some people will be disappointed when the playgrounds are eventually replaced.

The playgrounds were a "great idea at the time. They were awesome to get community involved at the time, but the standards are 180 degrees from what they are now for accessibility, for just getting slivers off them and little things like that," Dimke said. "They're not in danger now, don't take that wrong, but with the new standards that change every year, they're very much outdated."

They would be replaced with more modern metal and plastic equipment, said Laura Pigatti Williamson, deputy director of capital planning and asset management. She said the district would keep the community involved in the design process.

"Whenever we do any of our playgrounds we always ask for community input for the type of playground structure they might want," Pigatti Williamson said.

One item removed from this year's list was the district's proposal to build an overpass for joggers, bicyclists and other recreation path users that would connect Sinnissippi Park to the riverfront over Illinois 251. The district said it needs more time to work with the Illinois Department of Transportation as it develops a way to cross over the state highway.

"This project hasn't fallen off the radar," Pigatti Williamson said. "We just need more time to plan."